PrinceofcatS

Is the dead leaves note supposed to be like a big burst of old-fashioned dude cologne? I have almost never had to wash something off me in my life, and no perfume has ever made me as miserable as this one did. I think maybe there was lavender in this, but mostly that guy cologne scent. I feel like if you haven't tried a dead leaves scent before try a decant first and do not do what I did! This doesn't smell like real dead leaves or nature or whatever at all. I have so much regret. edit 10/25: I realize i should clarify that this doesn't smell *masculine* so much as it smells exactly like a very old-fashioned cologne to me (and reminded me strongly of one a middle-aged college professor used to wear which was absolutely unbearable). I would agree that it's unisex. I actually like some masculine-leaning things (though I don't tend to keep them; I'll enjoy them but then pass them on to someone who will appreciate them in their collection). This, however, was really unpleasant on me, in part because it's also got ENORMOUS throw. I didn't get any nature notes like moss or dirt (or leaf...) out of this. I also should make it clear that I did wash it off before even the hour mark was past. I had put it on before heading to work and shortly after I arrived I was so deeply unhappy standing in my own scent cloud that I washed it off with water, soap, and hand sanitizer. So this might actually chill out after a few hours (and other notes might come out, like the lavender I got absolutely none of), but for me, it's not worth every suffering the beginning of it ever again. I sent it to a friend literally that week. My hyperbolic review still stands though: if you haven't tried the dead leaves note please don't buy a full bottle, please get a decant. I love nature smells and this was one of the first things I knew i had to blind buy. I was so wrong!

This goes on strong "frozen" note, which is weird for me because I've never smelled that without pine before, but it's the same as I find in my ice blends - just no pine. It does have a cold, chilly feel to it - I get more mint as it dries - and some creamy gardenia starts to come out too. The initial ten minutes of this were really pleasant, all cold florals and the vanilla orchid rearing its head - I love BPAL's vanilla orchid, but it's not in much stuff. Then it started to be soapy. It took me a moment to pinpoint what the only unpleasant smell was - but then it became clear it was soap. I'm torn about keeping this, because the soapy stage didn't last the entire rest of the wear time, and unlike other soapy blends i've worn (Somewhere or Other comes to mind), I did get other notes in this one, especially if I wasn't trying to sniff my wrist. And all the rest of the notes are really lovely, and the sandalwood barely showed up (I tend to amp BPAL's sandalwood, so that was a fear). I also think the frankincense might get stronger with age (I didn't get much of it this time) and abate the soapiness even more. The strengths of this scent for me are that none of its notes bullies the others, even though sometimes gardenia and sandalwood do that; there's a ghostly hint of mintiness, a creamy touch of gardenia, and a flawless resinous base that's just gentle and grounding for the other notes. The vanilla orchid is unique as a note so you can detect it easily, but it doesn't dominate either. I think it's possible that the rose note in this might be what went soapy on me, just because Somewhere or Other did, unless one of the cold notes (used as a mist in that?) did it, but I've never had problems with rose notes from any perfume by those two. I recommend this, especially to orchid fans, but people who have trouble with soapiness in any of these notes or florals in general may want to give it a pass.

I admit I did get this out of the mailbox just a couple of hours ago, but oh damn well. On the skin i get that pretty dirt note, something mossy, and wet woods, but the wood note starts coming through strongest, with a bit of the warm, sweet beeswax coming in underneath. There's a peculiar green note over everything, which might be from it not being totally settled yet. Even though there's no roses, this reminds me a lot of Zombi without the actual Spanish moss note that makes Zombi a tad difficult for me (the first time I wore it i thought i smelled pee). The beeswax note is getting more and more prominent, but it otherwise still smells like a cold forest. The warmth and sweetness of beeswax does mimic the effect of a candle in the chilly dark. Lovers of the dirt and moss notes are going to love this. It's atmospheric and spooky and really feels like being outside. The vanilla-esque beeswax (which really is equal parts honey vanilla and wax) adds such a pretty touch to it.

Thank you thank you thank you! I came across a few i literally hadn't heard of (somehow? i swear i've read every single page on the site from top to bottom...) or hadn't thought of as autumnal until i gave it more thought and i've popped them into my cart!

I'm looking for some scents in the general collection, to be specific, that remind anyone of autumn! I'm adding some seasonal imps to my cart along with the scents from the Halloween update I plan to get, so anything that I would have to get on the forum - something discontinued, something limited edition - isn't going to be helpful. I currently have imps of Light of Men's Lives (although I have wanted that for a while), Thanatopsis, Jack and La Bella Donna Della Mente in there but i'm curious to know what else anyone suggests.

I'm so glad I ended up leaping for this after all. I had decided not to get it because I was ordering Somewhere or Other (which hates me, it turns out) but I panicked and ordered it the last day the Lupercalias were supposed to be available. (It looks like they're still up, but I didn't want to risk it.) Oudh is in a lot of the same perfumes as patchouli is, and so when I hate a scent that has them both, I seem to think "Oh! I must not like oudh!" and recently i realized I just hate patchouli. I loved the idea of a rose-oudh, but I've tried two (Tom Ford Oud Fleur and Atelier Cologne Rose Anonyme) and hated them... and yes they do both have patchouli! So I realized I had a good chance at liking this one after all. Then a friend of mine brought me a rose oudh candle as a souvenir from her honeymoon and I was so much in love with the scent I had to try Elizabeth of Bohemia to see what it would smell like! Indeed, I keep forgetting this, but I really like oudh. I can't really tell where oudh starts and ends when blended with the rose, which I like in this case. The crisp woodiness of the oudh renders it almost green with the rose here, which comes out wild, velvety and fresh all at the same time. It puts me in mind of a rose bush left to its own devices, covered in beautiful blossoms, but also deadly with thorns. It does feel very elegant and sophisticated, but not automatically black tie.

Try Fairy Bites! I absolutely adore this one. There's much more to it than that, but those notes and the herbal mint are the most prominent to me.

The lilac in Ouija is the most prominent note on me, but judging from other reviews that's not true for everyone.

My imp of this is really old, so I'm fearful this isn't necessarily true to the scent, but a friend sent me a bunch of old imps last spring and that's what got me into BPAL again. This and The Reaper and the Flowers ended up being my two favorite scents that spring. I do get a faint soapiness from this now that I think about it, but it's not really soapy, so much as strongly green. The lettuce is really sweet and aquatic and the orris adds a pinch of almost violet-like sweetness (without being violet-y - I amp violet to high heavens even though I like it in small doses so I tend not to be able to wear it and tend to be very nervous about orris). I think angel's trumpet might dominate, a soft, greenish floral note that is definitely also in Yorick (though sadly on me, Yorick is the spices from that dirt going REALLY sweet with the amber undertone in it). The rosewood doesn't amp either, but does add a faint brush of perfumey wood to this, grounding it and rounding it out a little. I really like this scent particularly for whom it describes. It's very inoffensive, but it isn't, on me, a very generic or commercial scent. The orris eventually ends up strongest on me, but it is a note I amp.

I think there's carnation in both Voodoo Lily and Leanan Sidhe, though both of them are lily scents (and it might be ylang ylang in Voodoo Lily! my nose has failed me). I haven't tried it, but Bathsheba is carnation, plum and musk, and might be a replacement for Frumious Bandersnatch; from what I remember that was all plum and carnation on my skin. I haven't worn Morocco in a long while, but I think the spices and carnation blend really nicely in that.

I've never responded to one of these before and I'm excited to. Ranger (Untamed wilderness: buckskin accord with Terebinth pine, Russian birch, black ironwood, elder bark, hay, armoise, juniper, patchouli, galangal root, Spanish moss, and cabreuva.) - For someone in tune with nature! (The leather on this is kind of strong on me. Arkham is another forest scent I tried recently that is much more florally. I find the violet note comes forth the most in it.) Croquet (Pink lime, pink grapefruit, white nectarine, wild rose, sage, woody patchouli, bergamot, and ornery hedgehog musk) - Hedgehog musk! Pele (muguet and Hawaiian white ginger enveloped by warm, damp tropical blooms) - idk! this scent is sweet and bright, a bit tropical. Brusque Violet (Violet petal, violet leaf, osmanthus, orris, mint, and opoponax) - A bit quirky, rather sweet, definitely stubborn. Hollywood Babylon (The essence of innocence shattered: glittering Egyptian amber and heliotrope, infused with the sweetness of strawberry and vanilla - dragged into debauch by lusty red musk and a dribble of black cherry) - "all things makeup and fashion" just made me think of this one, both in sweetness and subject matter! Vixen (The innocence of orange blossom tainted by the beguiling scents of ginger and patchouli.) - Another one that's just sweet and pretty, but unusual. Voodoo Lily - bonus Poison Ivy scent. This is a heady, spicy lily, almost a little fruity.

I second Roses, Pearls and Diamonds, which really does smell exactly like those things (I'm not regularly a coconut fan, but this doesn't smell tropical at all, just pearly), Lucy's Kiss (to me this is gentle spices and white rose) and The Ragged Wood (judging by the other scents you like, FeralFae, like Elf, I think you would really like this one). If you're up for hunting for it, Fresh and Blooming as a Rose, which was one of the Snow Queen scents from the Trading Post this past Yule, is a dreamy blend of light snow, white rose and white amber and is rather romantic. In the general collection I recommend Ave Maria Gratia Plena (unless you really hate any of the notes - I like them, though; I find the flowers light but persistent and the sandalwood comforting and warm) and Victoria from the Stardust line, which is one of my absolute favorites.

Someone recommended this to me a while ago as a good gothic heroine in a white nightgown scent, as being ethereal in that dark sort of way. It was definitely on my top list of things to try, but I ended up getting some other imps instead in my last order. And then I got it as a frimp! This goes on with the sharpness I associate with lily (I think maybe my favorite floral note - I have definitely had poor experiences with lily scents, but more often than not, this note really glows on me, and I find it subtle and sweet but not bullied by other notes), and then warms up to this almost buttery sweetness that haloes the flowers. I had to look at the notes list and I think it's whatever the honey is in honey myrtle; it's a really subtle honey note, though. I mean buttery not as in edible but just to describe the richness of it. Stargazer lily has a recognizeable sweet and springy feel to me, always very fresh, and moonflower is similar but has a nearly soapy edge that also smells kind of misty, and always evokes nighttime. Together they're a silvery and almost sharp floral that is really soft and ethereal. I start to detect a bit of moss keeping it from being too sweet or too floral, and which also helps this scent to evoke spring flowers specifically at night. So definitely my gothic heroine in a white nightgown scent, but she's not running from the castle, she's just wandering its cemetery unchaperoned in the moonlight. Finally that tomb dust note starts to catch up to the moss; it's like a very, very soft and dry version of their dirt note, which I adore. I think that might be what other reviews call spicy, since I find the dirt note has a gently perfumey, spicy scent to it (and i love it!). This one didn't have great longevity but I hope that's just because my skin has been really dry and everything's had poor longevity on me lately. It held its own better than a lot of scents have recently. I was thinking "BIG BOTTLE" from the time I put this on, and I'm still thinking it. It's really, unbelievably lovely, and might be a good lily-dominant scent for me, because even though I think the moonflower is just as strong, moonflower and lily have a lot of things in common - their crisp, fresh feel - and they blend together gorgeously.

In the wet stage this is frankincense - a bit lemony but more the other kind - and lily of the valley, and it's so gorgeous, just teeth-achingly beautiful. But sadly, the myrrh comes out kind of powdery-sweet and then the rose comes up too, and it ended sort of surprisingly powdery, which isn't a thing I like, but was also gorgeous. This definitely evokes holiness and femininity, and I actually felt like i shouldn't be wearing it! It's nice, I need to wear it a few more times, but I think I'm disappointed because that early part before rose and myrrh (notes I adore, honestly) where it's a simplistic, glowing frank and muguet blend, was like my own personal heaven, and I can't find another scent in the catalogue that's similar that doesn't seem to blend rose with lily.

I absolutely hate patchouli, except very, very rarely, when it's smothered in other notes and in something specifically trying to evoke dirt or woods, so when I got this as a frimp I already knew I wouldn't like it. But I sort of hoped I would since i was super curious about all the apocalypse scents back when I first discovered BPAL, and I am discovering that I adore lavender pretty much all the time. I actually come very near to liking this, so I'm sure it's actually quite beautiful. After a limey stage post-application, almost all of the notes in this come out rather sweetly. Lavender, sandalwood and patchouli - but less terrible on me than most, sort of a softer, paler patchouli? - with a growing sweetness that I can attribute both to the flowers (I love lily and if not for the patchouli I think I'd love the blend for this mixture!). There's a sort of otherworldly windswept feel which I think the notes contribute to in general, but the musk and mint are just like a chilly overlay, and then there's a kind of dark undercurrent from the vetiver. I wouldn't call this desolate or forlorn though I can see how it lends to that; it's pensive and pretty, and leans masculine only in that it's not overtly feminine - not overtly floral, sweet or anything else, but the musk doesn't dominate the way "masculine" scents feel like on me. It's a real pity about the patchouli because I actually really liked this. It's like a lying on a tomb in a white dress reading baleful poetry sort of scent. Listless, but holding your attention with its unusual prettiness.

This was all lemon spice on me? It wasn't a bad lemon, like a cleanser, but it wasn't bright either. The incense-y elements - powdery, resinous, spicy, idk - were there in some degree, but I couldn't pick up anything specific, just lemon. Neither what I expected nor something I particularly like, I'm afraid, but I'm sure there's got to be someone who would find this scent a must-have.

I heard Edith Cushing compared to this quite a lot after she came out, but Edith was the blend that broke the news to me that no matter what else is going on, i will always hate patchouli. A friend of mine loves Lyonesse, though, so I decided rather spontaneously to try an imp of it. And... at first, wet on my skin, it gave me the same sickening feeling Edith gives me, this blend of a foody vanilla with a bunch of things that frankly smell atrocious. I love ambergris and sea moss and elemi are all grand ideas, but on my skin, with the foody vanilla, I seriously thought I might be ill. Thankfully I didn't try to wash this off, because while it took a while, it settled very quickly into a gorgeous, golden, otherworldly beauty. Dry, it's a liquid blend of this golden vanilla-amber-sandalwood-musk, and the cooler, silvery feel brought on by the blend of notes that evoke the ocean. I can also definitely detect the pure stargazer lily note, which is one of my favorites, but overall the scent is incredibly well-mixed and evocative. I can really see the comparison to Edith, but the patchouli really disrupts that one for me. At the same time, I think that one is way more buttery vanilla throughout, and doesn't have the crystalline feel of this. This scent reminds me of a grey rainy day spent consuming your favorite piece of fantasy media - a LOTR marathon from the comfort of your couch wrapped in a blanket or rereading your favorite childhood books in bed - this perfect blend of translucent watery notes and the comforting blend of musk, sandalwood, amber and vanilla, but transcending the earthly comforting feeling and being all celestial and shit. So I really like it! And I wish Edith was more like this on my skin, but nevermind. This is probably a future bottle purchase. I could see myself reaching for this a lot in the cooler months, though it feels out of place now that I'm eager for spring.

I agree with what the person directly above me said, only on me I hate it. This goes on soapy juniper, then some benzoin comes out and makes it less horrible (even though it's still a soapy juniper). I'm not getting any flowers, though I do think i got some bergamot. I've been bitterly disappointed in most of the Lupercalia scents I've tried this year and I was hoping this one might manage to be some kind of standout for me. Nope. Not at all. This is absolutely terrible. EDIT: I was so disappointed in this one that I actually kidded myself if I wore it again it would be different. And it was?? I tried on The Ragged Wood again this morning and this time it went on juniper-pine and almost bubblegummy, so I was hopeful that would lead to more than just the benzoin. Today, juniper and pine smelled like the woods, not like soap; a clean and clear woods, not a dirty wild one like Ranger or something, but quite pretty. No florals were distinguishable on me from one another, but they were very much there, marrying the super evident, creamy vanilla and benzoin to the woods. This is like sitting in a forest clearing and smelling flowers off in the distance. It's very sweet, very pretty, very unusual. I think it suits the poem very well. This isn't what I expected at all, but after the horrible experience I had the first time I wore it I'll take any positive I can get! This one doesn't smell great when I actually sniff my wrists, but it floats around me like a hazy cloud of woods and distant flowers and vanilla, and had great staying power. Let's hope it wears like this from now on, not like the horrible first time.

This is an almost medicinal herbal blend of lavender and mint and chamomile in the bottle, almost sharp but with an underlying sweetness; on the skin it's much the same. I don't find it hits you in the face with lavender or mint but they're quite strong and sparkly and herby. I adore this lavender scent; it reminds me of the same one in Yvaine, and I really need to look into more lavender scents. The mint in this is like wild mint, the plant, not an extract or candy cane or something else; green and soft and even sweet, and it hovers over everything and feels really magical. I can't explain it any better. As it dries I can get more of the honeysuckle and osmanthus, and maybe the honey too, bolstering the honey-esque elements in both of those scents but not dominating or crushing the many herb and floral notes here. This is so bright and delicate and really feels like being outside in an herb garden with like, fluff and sparkles floating all around you. I agree with the person who said this is like what a fairy bite would smell like after. Like fairy saliva would totally smell like this, gross as that sounds! I was hoping I'd like this but utterly terrified based on the note list for years - if you are like me please just stop worrying and buy it.

This goes on with a strong lemon bite from the frankincense, with the other qualities of frankincense kickin' it in the background, and flowery osmanthus (which is an almost fruity flower scent that I find very ethereal and pops up a lot in otherworldly blends in BPAL). The other notes are all there as it dries, and there's definitely a golden, somber feel to this one. The lily isn't super strong and just seems to kind of float; the musk is just mingling with its resinous qualities. I find frankincense usually gets less lemony on me but this one doesn't seem to, maybe because it's fresh? The osmanthus calms down a little bit on the drydown - the strong fruit note that it can have does at least - but I found all the notes of this consistently detectable the entire time I wore it. This does have a somber but bright and gleaming feel to it. It works really well for mythical vampires, but it doesn't feel like a ~dark vampire scent~, for which I'll presumably have to try something else in this line.

I complained that both Elf and Arkham didn't smell like woods on me but this, while it does smell like woods, doesn't smell like the kind of woods I want: this is all forest floor and vegetation in the depths of a forest, with sun trying to penetrate the thick canopy of leaves but failing, but not very much trees. I generally don't like patchouli and leather is a scent i am critical of sometimes, but both of them together really evoke that sweet almost-rot feel of a forest floor. I feel like leather is the strongest note on me.

Yikes, I really hate this. I can't even say this smelled like something I want to drink, it has like a rubbing alcohol feel to it. I just wore Oberon recently so I recognize the juniper element, which has a "clean" element to it that i don't really care for, but not that alcohol note. It is a bit sweet and soda-y after that initial wet phase, and I really feel the Roaring Twenties vibe of it, but I personally can't stand it.

Usually tropical flowers means heavy and smelly and fruity and I hate them with a passion, but I love muguet desperately, so I gave this a try. It's really pretty! Definitely has a tropical flower feel but it's white flowers and lovely and pretty. I got a gardenia out of this and I don't know why, but the muguet was prominent. There's maybe a tart and bright note from the ginger but I didn't actually detect any ginger. I think i might send this to a friend because I can probably find muguet scents i like better than this, and I don't feel like I'll wear it a lot because tropical flowers is still not my ultimate jam. But i recommend it.

I wanted a crisp twilight woods with wildflowers, feared dark heavy woods and nothing else, and got... faint woods, beautiful flowers, then ALL FLOWERS in the drydown. What?? I am starting to realize woods might not show up much on my skin, which baffles me. This goes on with a strong lemonish scent that's probably bergamot, but fades into a really pretty floral. The violet dominates a bit (that note definitely amps on me though), but it doesn't crush the other notes, it just lends a prevailing sweetness that I detect as violet. If you sat in a flowery glen and far behind your field was a big old forest, maybe that would be how this smells. I really wish the forest notes were stronger, because I can tell they're gorgeous, but on me this is mostly sweet flowers. I am sad.

I'm agreeing with the person above me. This actually reminded me more of Jareth than the Jareth perfume did? I get a strong, stronger junipery white musk from this one, too strong and too masculine for me, with orchid floating above it, and something faintly nature-feeling, almost a dirt scent, which is the most wearable patchouli tends to be on me (I usually hate it). The orchid came out a lot more as I wore it, but it still overall feels like a mysterious Faerie King. I picture someone illuminated by moonlight very intensely wooing me, standing upon the moss outside my bedroom window, and orchid and swirls of white musk all around clouding my judgment. I love orchid, but this one is gonna go to my best guy friend. It feels too masc for me. I really want an orchid-dominant scent but this is not the one.